Cessna Citation Mustang

The Cessna Citation Mustang (Model 510) suits two or three people on short trips. This small twin-engine jet for 4 passengers, 5 on some aircraft, cruises at about 630 km/h and is at its best on flights of up to two and a half hours, so Vienna to Paris, Munich to Olbia or Zurich to London are all one leg. Cessna built 479 of them between 2006 and 2017.

Who it suits

Our pick for two or three people on short trips, because it usually costs less per hour than the Phenom 100 or the Citation M2 and still flies above most of the weather at jet speed. It does not suit four adults with large bags on a long day, or anyone who needs a proper lavatory: the Citation CJ1 costs a little more and has one.

Cabin

The cabin is 1.37 m high and just under 3 m long, so you sit rather than stand. The four seats face each other in a club, with large windows on both sides. There is only an emergency toilet, without a closed door, which is why the Mustang suits flights of up to about two hours best.

Range and airports

The Mustang needs about 950 m of runway at full weight, so it can use small airports such as Lugano or Cannes that put you closer to the lake or the coast. Some of these need crews trained for them, which we check when we choose the operator. With four passengers and bags, plan on legs of up to about 1,500 km, which covers most of Central Europe and the western Mediterranean. For Lisbon, the Canary Islands or anything over three hours, a Citation CJ3 or Phenom 300 flies there without a stop.

Luggage

The holds in the nose and the tail take around 4 standard suitcases, enough for three or four people with weekend bags. Soft bags pack better than hard cases. Tell us about golf bags or skis when you ask for a quote, as with a full cabin they may not fit.